1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for supplying a fluid to a workpiece so as to process the workpiece.
2. Description of the Related Art
One known device for supplying a fluid to a disc carrying thereon a photo-resist layer in the process of manufacturing a disc master is a spinner used in the step of forming a photo-resist pattern on a disc base or in the step of removing a photo-resist layer from a disc base.
FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings illustrates such a known fluid supplying and processing device.
The fluid supplying and processing device includes a turntable 2 for carrying and rotating a workpiece 1 such as a disc base, and a spinner bowl 3 enclosing a working region around the turntable 2. Three fluid guide pipes 4, 5, 6 are disposed above the spinner bowl 3 for guiding fluids, such as a developing solution, a fixing solution, and a cleaning solution, respectively, which are supplied from respective fluid sources (not shown), onto the workpiece 1. The fluid guide pipes 4, 5, 6 have distal ends extending into the spinner bowl 3 and opening above the turntable 2 for discharging the respective fluids toward the workpiece 1 on the turntable 2. The supply of the fluids through the fluid guide pipes 4, 5, 6 is controlled by automatically opening and closing cocks 7, 8, 9 which are disposed respectively in the pipes 4, 5, 6, respectively. The fluids are discharged from the fluid guide pipes 4, 5, 6 while the turntable 2 is being rotated. As the fluids are discharged from the fluid guide pipes 4, 5, these pipes 4, 5, are moved radially with respect to the turntable 2.
If the fluid discharged by the fluid guide pipe 4 is of a solidifiable nature, then some of the fluid discharged thereby remains on the open end of the pipe 4 and is deposited thereon as shown. The fluid discharged form the fluid guide pipe 4 onto the workpiece 1 is partly repelled by the workpiece 1 when the turntable 2 rotates. The repelled fluid is then repelled again by the inner wall surface of the spinner bowl 3, and the repelled fluid droplets are attached to and deposited on the open ends of the fluid guide pipes 4 through 6. The fluid deposits on the pipes 4 through 6 may fall onto the workpiece 1 before they are fully solidified on the pipes, so that the workpiece 1 may undesirably be contaminated. When this happens, the production of processed workpieces 1 suffers a low yield. Such workpiece contamination may be prevented by a device which wipes any fluid deposits off the open ends of the pipes 4 through 6 each time the fluid has been ejected from the fluid guide pipe 4, or a device which discharges a cleaning solution to wash away fluid deposits from the pipe ends. However, these additional devices make the production process complex, lower the efficiency of operation, and result in an increase in the cost of the fluid supplying and processing device.